Drying Fresh Cut Flowers

Dried Flowers have been dated throughout the ages. Flowers have always had practical and symbolic uses either medicinally, aromatically, or for cosmetic purposes. There is a desire to surround ourselves with the natural beauty of nature. Drying Flowers and creating designs for your home is a wonderful way to bring the beauty of the outdoors, indoors.

Flowers in the home have been proven to reduce stress, boost your mood and increase your home's aesthetic. Creating a dried project with your own hands is truly magical. Gifting a dried flower project is also a fantastic way to share your love of the outdoors with some special. My favorite project is using dried flowers for seasonal decorating in the home.

There are many ways to dry flowers. Air drying, microwave drying, silica gel and pressing flowers are some of the methods used to dry flowers. My suggestion is to consider the project you want to create and select the right method to dry flowers for that project.

Things to think about when selecting your flower drying project

• Air Drying: need good ventilation and dark room
• Pressing: certain flowers response to pressing thicker flowers dry better with silica gel 
• Make sure the material you are drying is free of pests
• Cut material early in morning and free of dew moisture on the flower
• Consider storage of the flowers once they are dried and until you are ready to create your project.

Colonial Gardens U-Cut Flower Farm has the perfect type of flowers to dry! You can enjoy the fresh flowers plus drying the flowers for projects to create during the winter. Colonial Gardens has hands on classes to learn techniques on how to preserve flowers and take home your own dried flower arrangement.

Enjoy creating with flowers and I hope to see you in the field at Colonial Gardens U-Cut Flower Farm and in the hands-on workshops.

Written By Kristin Middleton